Saturday, February 22, 2014

My Favorite Craft Supplies: A to Z

I suppose it's needless to mention that I'm a craft-supply addict. I brake for beads and buttons, and have jars filled to the brim with them. My studio is stocked with scrap-booking and sewing supplies. The only thing that I might love more than working on a DIY project is shopping for the materials, so I thought I'd make a list of my favorite craft & studio supplies, from A to Z! Enjoy!

A - Acrylic rolling pin. If you've ever worked with polymer clay, then this basic tool is a must-have.B - Bead crimper. Fellow beaders, how many times have you attempted to use a crimp tool in your jewelry designs, only to have it break and fall apart just as you thought you were done? A crimping tool won't keep it from ever happening again, but it'll definitely keep you from breaking 75% of your tubes.

F - Feathers. Ever since I was a little girl, I've had a love for feathers. I also had a dad who was really into Native American crafts, so they were always in abundance throughout my childhood.G - Glue gun, a necessity for any household.

H - Hole punches. Use shaped punches in cards and stationery, or punch simple holes to make confetti!I - Ink markers. These are so handy for stamping and allow you to customize your stamps' color schemes in ways that typical ink pads just can't.J - Jute twine. I love using twine for rustic decor hacks, but it's also durable enough for garden-work!

O - Organizers. Studios can get cluttered and messy really quickly. Your ability to organize using randomly-discovered containers will become your greatest asset.P - Paper trimmer. If you want to cut straight lines every single time, you need to invest in one of these.

S - Scoring board by Martha Stewart. This little thing helps me to score straight lines, for perfectly folded cards every time.T - Twine, especially baker's twine! You can find it in every color of the rainbow, and it really adds that little dash of whimsy to scrap-booking and card projects.

V - Vise clamp. While I currently don't own one, a vise would be great for all the wood-working projects that I plan and never follow through with (perhaps due to lack of a vise clamp). *Update* My grandma read this post and sent me an amazing vise that used to belong to my dad, so I hope to be doing some more wood projects in the future!

Y - Yardstick. A super useful tool for hitting people who use your nice fabric shears for cutting paper.Z - Zippers. Maybe because they're functional and fun, or maybe there's just nothing else that starts with Z.

I hope you've enjoyed this list of my favorite craft supplies! Obviously, no two craft rooms will ever be stocked the same. This list is meant to reflect my own hobbies - sewing, beading, card-making, and sculpting in polymer clay - but what are your favorite go-to craft supplies?

P.S. - If you've enjoyed this post, please do me a solid and Pin the graphic below to your favorite crafty Pinterest board! Thanks for reading!